by Scott M Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports

by Scott M Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to the fifth edition of Bracket Briefing, our attempt to ensure that readers won't have to wait until March to know who C.J. McCollum is.

Team of the Week: Wichita State

Wichita State sixth-year coach Gregg Marshall is already bitter at the beginning of an interview.

"Can we get in your rankings or what?" he asks, with a slight chuckle.

Marshall really doesn't care or need to ask about rankings, with his Shockers left out of USA TODAY Sports' coaches poll for a second consecutive week while ranked No. 23 in the AP poll.

The truth is no one, including Marshall, expected Wichita State to be in any top-25 discussion this season at all. Marshall lost four starters who led the Shockers to an NIT title in 2011 and a regular season MVC title last season.

Yet Marshall doesn't seem all that surprised that his unproven cast has dashed out to a 9-0 start and is making a case as one of the top mid-major teams in the country in the process.

"I think it has to do with culture, but I also think it has to do with the character of guys we recruit. You don't read about our guys in the news. If there's a high school player who has a little bit of trouble and there's a player who isn't as talented but will work hard, who do you think I'm going to get? All of our guys work hard and they buy into the system, they're not selfish."

Where Wichita State would be seeded in the NCAAs if the season ended today: No. 7

Wichita State has a handful of quality wins, including road victories at VCU and Air Force, and then against Iowa, DePaul and Tulsa. But there's no eyebrow-raising win that will make the NCAA committee reward a mid-major more than it could.

Top-10 team that Wichita State would give fits to: Louisville

Louisville at its best could beat any team in the country because of its defense, but the Cardinals' offensive lulls could open the door for an upset against a well-coached, potent mid-major squad. Louisville barely survived fellow Missouri Valley teams Northern Iowa (on a neutral court) and Illinois State (on its home floor) so it's easy to picture Rick Pitino's squad falling to a premier team like WSU.

Top-10 team that Wichita State would struggle against: Duke

A VCU team that Wichita State beat on its home floor measured up against Duke for the most part in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament, but the Blue Devils have size (Mason Plumlee) and outside shooting (Seth Curry) that would provide a tough matchup for WSU's somewhat unproven new faces this season.